Genshin Impact's colorful cast of characters is probably the most prominent feature of the game. As Genshin Impact takes place in a fantasy world, there are many non-human characters. These add a little bit of special flare to the list of nations that make up Hoyoverse's world.
Each nation has its own list of non-human playable characters, covering only characters that are confirmed to be non-human according to lore or appearance. Some characters might have unique or special looking outfits, but that doesn't confirm they're non-human.
Mondstadt's Non-Human Characters
Mondstadt, the first nation players encounter in the game, is primarily based on Germany with some minor inspiration from other European countries. The city-state of Mondstadt is depicted as a typical medieval city in fantasy worlds. Despite being based on the birthplace of famous fairy tales, Mondstadt itself doesn't have as many non-human characters as the other nations so far. Even some characters residing in Mondstadt aren't actually from Mondstadt, like Albedo and Klee.
- Albedo: Homunculus/Synthetic human. He could be considered a different kind of human, but Albedo was created by the alchemist Rhinedottir, and he isn't the only Albedo on Teyvat as hinted in the "Shadows Amidst Snowstorms" quest.
- Diona: Katzlein Bloodline Descendant. She inherited cat ears and a tail resembling calico cats.
- Klee: Unknown elf species. Klee's elf ears are clear indicators and her life-span is presumably going to be similar to her mother Alice's who's somewhere around 500 years old.
- Sucrose: Unknown part-animal species. She has animal ears, but it currently isn't known what animal/species she corresponds to.
- Venti: Wind spirit/God. Prior to becoming the Anemo Archon, Venti was a small elemental spirit. As Barbatos, he adopted a similar look of his late friend, the Nameless Bard. Now he walks among Teyvat as a mortal vessel resembling the Nameless Bard.
Liyue's Non-Human Characters
Liyue's most notable non-human characters are the illuminated beasts/adepti. The difference between the two terms is that adepti is the umbrella term for all divine creatures or persons blessed with special gifts or powers while illuminated beasts can be used to refer to the specific divine species. Many of Liyue's illuminated beasts take inspiration from creatures of Chinese mythology. It's suggested that adepti can shapeshift into humans like Madame Ping, or animal forms like Cloud Retainer (crane) and Moon Carver (deer).
- Ganyu: Half-qilin, Half-Human. Ganyu's mother was a qilin, which are Chinese creatures that are usually a mix of a dragon, deer, or goat. Ganyu has two red horns protruding out of her head. Like qilins, Ganyu is a vegetarian.
- Qiqi: Zombie. Resurrected by adepti, Qiqi lives as an emotionless, amnesiac undead due to adepti magic.
- Xiao: Adeptus (avian illuminated beast). The sole remaining Guardian Yaksha, Xiao is an adepti whose true form is supposedly a bird illuminated beast based on his design and lore. His Yaksha alias "Alatus" translates to "winged." His true form hasn't been revealed yet.
- Yanfei: Half-xiezhi, Half-human. Similiar to Ganyu being half-illuminated beast, Yanfei's father is a xiezhi, a mythical creature from Chinese mythology resembling and ox or goat. The xiezhi is a symbol of justice in China, and fittingly Yanfei is a lawyer. Yanfei has two white horns coming out of her head and some scales on her body.
- Zhongli: Adeptus/God. Zhongli in Genshin Impact is an adeptus who took many forms during his reign as Rex Lapis. According to an in-game book series known as Rex Incognito, along with his half-dragon, half-qilin form seen during the Liyue Archon Quest, Rex Lapis adopted different appearances both as a man and woman, but now roams the world as his mortal vessel, Zhongli.
Inazuma's Non-Human Characters
As Inazuma is based on Japan, many of the non-human characters are based on Japanese folklore creatures, specifically the yokai. Yokai are known as supernatural spirits or entities in Japanese mythology, similarly to the illuminated beasts in Liyue. Inazuma is filled with all kinds of them from playable characters to NPCs. Many of Inazuma's yokai assimilated into Inazuma's human society without issues, although they're acknowledged for their powers and talents.
- Arataki Itto: Part-Oni. Based on the yokai of the similar name, Itto has red horns and fascinating strength just like onis. However, he doesn't bear a demon/ogre-like appearance, as he's a half-blood oni. He's also very allergic to beans, which are used to ward off onis in Japanese folklore.
- Gorou: Unique dog-like species. His dog ears and a fluffy tail resemble the Shiba Inu dog breed that's native to Japan.
- Kirara: Nekomata. Kirara is a cat-like yokai who has a couple of two-toned cat tails and actual paws for feet.
- Kujou Sara: Tengu. She's primarily based off the karasu-tengu, a crow spirit. Sara has black wings and a bird mask. She was strong enough to beat Itto, an oni, in a duel and confiscate his vision.
- Raiden Shogun/Ei: Puppet/God. The Shogun is a puppet (essentially, an android) that resembles Ei, the Electro Archon. Ei's physical body doesn't exist anymore, but her consciousness is stored in her sword, the Musou Isshin, which is in possession of the Shogun. Ei herself can take control of the Shogun's body as her own. Before becoming an Archon, it's unknown if Ei was something other than a human, but she was considered a Raijin (God of Lightning) during the Archon War.
- Yae Miko: Kitsune. Like in Japanese folklore, kitsunes are fox spirits who are typically wise and mischievous, which are two traits that describe Miko. She also has pink fox ears and during her Elemental Burst, her five fox tails appear. She also has a long-life span. In one cutscene, she was shown in her fox form when she was younger and smaller.
Sumeru's Non-Human Characters
Sumeru is the newest nation in Genshin Impact, and there are still plenty of future updates to add new characters. Sumeru has the fewest amount of non-human characters out of the four current nations, and hopefully HoYoverse can continue drawing inspiration from the cultures of Southern Asia, the Middle East, and Northern Africa to create more unique and interesting characters.
- Layla: Unknown elf species. Her pointed ears are a clear indication.
- Nahida: Avatar of Irminsul/God. Nahida has pointed ears, signifying she might be an elf. However, at the end of the Sumeru Archon Quest, it's revealed she is an avatar of Irminsul, a branch from the tree that holds Teyvat's knowledge and memories.
- Tighnari: Unique fox-like species. His design is based on the fennec fox, which are found in Northern Africa around the Sahara Desert. He has long pointed ears and a fluffy green tail.
- Wanderer: Puppet. Although he currently resides in Sumeru, Wanderer was a prototype in Inazuma for the Raiden Shogun to safekeep the Electro Gnosis, but has been freed from the duty.
Genshin Impact is now available on Mobile, PC, PS4, and PS5. A Switch version is in development.
